State Bond Commission approves $1.75M for last phase of Norwalk Harbor dredging

By ROBERT KOCHHour Staff Writer

Published 3:30 pm, Thursday, March 21, 2013

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State Bond Commission approves $1.75M for last phase of Norwalk Harbor dredging

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NORWALK -- The city's Harbor Management Commission has secured an additional $1.75 million for Phase Three of the Norwalk Harbor dredging project.

The allocation brings to $5.05 million the amount of money available for the third and final phase of the dredging project that began more than eight years ago. Phase Three will begin in October in tandem with the dredging of the New Haven Harbor Channel.

Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state Sen. Bob Duff announced Thursday that the State Bond Commission had approved $1.75 million for the Norwalk project at its March 13 meeting.

"This is an important project that will boost the productivity of the harbor and strengthen Connecticut's economic competitiveness," said Malloy, Bond Commission chairman, in a press statement released by Duff's office. "I applaud Senator Duff for his work and advocacy on this issue -- it will certainly bolster our efforts to return our ports to the thriving centers of commerce they once were."

Phase Three calls for dredging up to 150,000 cubic yards of sediment from Norwalk Harbor, from the Stroffolino Bridge to the harbor mouth, in order to restore it to its authorized depth of Congressionally authorized depth.

Duff labeled Norwalk Harbor "a defining characteristic of our city" and "core component of our local economy." He noted that the harbor is used for both recreational and commercial purposes.

"Maintaining it is essential," said Duff, D-25. "I thank Governor Malloy for being so supportive of this effort. The entire Norwalk delegation and Congressman Jim Himes have been fighting for years to see this dredging completed, and no one more so than the members of the Norwalk Harbor Management Commission (NHMC). It is great to see this final phase get under way."

Material dredged from Norwalk Harbor will be deposited into central Long Island Sound off New Haven and be "capped" with material dredged from New Haven Harbor, according to the NHMC.

The Norwalk project will result in 106 jobs, according to Duff's office.

Mayor Richard A. Moccia said he is grateful to the state for providing the additional funding. He plans to hold a press conference Friday morning at which NHMC members will speak about the details of the project.

"The Harbor Commission people have done all the work on this and they should be recognized for it," Moccia said. "At the press conference, we'll have the technical end and some of the hard work the Harbor Commission put in."